Help with medical conditions involving your thyroid and adrenal glands

Anxiety

Performance anxiety

PTSD

Aggressive behavior of patients with brain injury

Phobias

Excessive sweating

Propranolol Mechanism of Action

Propranolol is a non-selective beta blocker. It works by blocking the action of certain natural chemicals in your body. The chemicals that are blocked are epinephrine and norepinephrine (aka adrenaline and noradrenaline).

When a person takes propranolol, the medication blocks the action of these excitatory neurotransmitters.

And in doing so, the user experiences a reduction of the following:

Heart rate

Blood pressure

Strain on the heart

Propranolol For Opiate Withdrawal

As I stated at the beginning of this article, many people have asked me if propranolol is effective for relieving opiate withdrawal symptoms.

In theory, it could potentially offer some benefits.

To explain how propranolol may help, I think it will be helpful to provide you with a basic understanding of the opioid withdrawal syndrome.

The Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome

The continuous use of opioids leads to tolerance and dependence. Dependence develops when the neurons adapt to the repeated drug exposure and only function normally in the presence of the drug.

How Propranolol May Help

During acute withdrawal, the flight or flight syndrome goes into hyperdrive. This causes MASSIVE anxiety and insomnia among other symptoms.

The fight or flight response activates the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine which are stress hormones.

If you were a caveman or cavewoman and being chased by a sabertooth tiger, this huge increase in epinephrine and norepinephrine would help you flee from danger.

And when you made it to safety, within 15 minutes your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) would activate and relax you, as this division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responsible for “rest and digest.”

But during acute opiate withdrawal, this overactive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) keeps going… and going… and going… for what seems to be a lifetime.

In theory, since propranolol blocks the action of epinephrine and norepinephrine, it seems plausible that taking propranolol during withdrawal could lessen anxiety and insomnia and perhaps some other symptoms.

I couldn’t find any studies that have shown propranolol to be effective for opiate withdrawal.

But some people have told me they’ve used it for withdrawal along with other medicines, and they believe it helped to reduce their symptoms.

How To Use Propranolol For Opiate Withdrawal

Now that you’ve learned about the mechanism of action of propranolol, you may be thinking about using propranolol for opiate withdrawal.

If you’re going to use propranolol for opiate withdrawal, please keep the following tips in mind:

Always take propranolol under a doctor’s supervision.

The adult dosage for propranolol is one 40 mg tablet 3x a day. You may need more or less of this to help during withdrawal.

Only use the medication for a few days to a week during the most severe part of opiate withdrawal, as you don’t want to take the medication long-term and thus be on another drug.

Propranol For Anxiety and PTSD

If I were going through withdrawal again, I wouldn’t worry about getting prescribed propranolol and I would only use it if I already had some.

Where I think propranolol could help the most is to prevent opioid relapse.

Many people with anxiety disorders and/or PTSD often use opioids to self-medicate their symptoms, as opioids can be very effective for these.

Since propranolol blocks the action of epinephrine and norepinephrine and reduces blood pressure, it can offer anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) benefits.

Additionally, propranolol is often used for something called “performance anxiety.”

The most common fear in the world is public speaking, and many speakers use propranolol before they go up on stage.

It has proven to be very effective at reducing performance anxiety, and speakers, musicians, actors, and others have used it successfully for this reason.

Propranolol is also being investigated as a potential treatment for PTSD.

Propranolol works to inhibit the actions of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that enhances memory consolidation.

In one small study individuals given propranolol immediately after trauma experienced fewer stress-related symptoms and lower rates of PTSD than respective control groups who did not receive the drug.

Key Concepts

Acute opioid withdrawal activates the fight or flight response into a hyperactive state, which is caused by the release of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Propranolol blocks the action of these neurotransmitters, which means that it may be useful in reducing anxiety, insomnia, and other symptoms of withdrawal.

Propranolol is not considered a stand-alone treatment for withdrawal, but it may offer the best benefits when used in combination with other more powerful medications, and/or in addition to this Opiate Withdrawal Supplement and CBD Oil.

Propranolol may be able to assist with relapse prevention as many people with anxiety disorders and/or PTSD get back on opioids to self-medicate their symptoms.

If you have any comments or questions about the use of propranolol for opiate withdrawal, please post them in the comment box below.

Matt Finch

Matt helps men and women that are dependent on opiates learn how to get off these drugs without getting sick. He is a former opiate addict and a former Substance Abuse Counselor at an Opiate Treatment Program (OTP). Matt has since become an Opiate Recovery Coach, Author, and Speaker.

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The information we provide while responding to comments is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The responses to comments on OpiateAddictionSupport.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition.

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